In Texas, At Least, The Tea Party Mask Falls To The Ground And What We Find-- Oh Noes!-- AN UGLY REPUBLICAN

Last week Aaron Blake wrote in the Washington Post what everyone in Texas already knows, that Kay Bailey Hutchison, one of the most conservative members of Congress, could be facing a tough primary challenge in 2012-- from the right. He speculated that she might not even run again, although conventional wisdom Inside-the-Beltway is hat she's addicted to senatorial prerogatives and wants to stay on in Washington.

Hutchison was on the wrong end of a bruising, lopsided primary loss in March to Gov. Rick Perry (R) in which she saw her sterling public image take a big hit. Perry, who began the race as an underdog in the minds of many, nailed Hutchison over her vote for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) bailout and her ties to Washington. He wound up beating her by more than 20 points.

...State Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and former Secretary of State Roger Williams are both actively campaigning for the seat, and several other candidates are threatening to run regardless of Hutchison's announcement.

Among the undecideds are a number of well-known candidates, including wealthy Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and, potentially, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

Dewhurst would be formidable because he would instantly be financially competitive due to his personal wealth and already has a cultivated statewide profile (he was just elected to his third term as lieutenant governor with 63 percent of the vote). He also has the luxury of taking his time to make a decision because of his high name identification and money.

At the same time, he's not regarded as a great candidate, and because he is part of the establishment, he wouldn't bring the tea party, insurgent-type profile that was so successful in the 2010 Senate primary season.

The candidate that fits that bill the best would appear to be Michael Williams. But Williams, like other tea party candidates, could face a funding problem, which is even more deadly in such a big state.

Williams is widely regarded as DeMint's boy. And yesterday's Hill ramped the story up a notch: Texas Conservatives Target Hutchison. Texas teabaggers claim there are over half a dozen teabagger extremists who are frothing at the mouth to take her on.

In the gubernatorial primary, one of Perry’s most effective tactics was to paint Hutchison as too far to the left for the Texas GOP. Her vote in favor of the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) proved Perry’s trump card. His campaign tagged the senator with the moniker “Kay Bailout Hutchison” and successfully branded her as a Washington insider. She lost by more than 20 points. 

“The way that primary unfolded tells you all you need to know about her vulnerability if she runs again,” said Republican strategist Mike Baselice, who suspects Hutchison is leaning against a run. Baselice was Perry’s pollster in 2010.

Wright said the state’s Tea Party movement sees Hutchison as a relatively easy target. He named Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams as an early favorite of the group. Wright said Williams appeared at more than 150 Tea Party gatherings across Texas and “is saying all the right things” to activists. Williams hasn’t made a formal announcement.

In the hopes of making herself more palatable to the far right, Hutchison, one of the Senates' biggest earmarkers, flip-flopped and signed on to the earmark moratorium and has vowed to oppose the DREAM Act she voted for in 2007. And she'll be crowing about voting the 100% bigot line this week when she screams "faggot" at the gay men and women serving in the U.S. military as she casts a vote against repealing DADT and tries desperately to reclaim the anti-gay mantle teabaggers are demanding.

A few weeks ago John Cornyn, Texas' other Republican Senator and head of the NRSC, manfully stepped up to the plate and told Jim DeMint he better stop undermining conservative GOP incumbents in favor of radical right sociopaths like Christine O'Donnell, Joe Miller and Sharron Angle. DeMint laughed in his face and redoubled his efforts to drive Hutchison out of the Senate. Texas doesn't have a viable statewide Democratic Party and the GOP could nominate Benito Mussolini and win.